Penobscot Building vs Detroit Free Press Building

Comparing the Penobscot Building and the Detroit Free Press Building is interesting because they both stand in Detroit, MI, and were completed within 3 years of each other, but they were designed by different architects.

This offers a unique glimpse at how rival designers approached projects in the same city during the same era.

The Penobscot Building is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 564ft (172m) with 45 floors above ground, while the Detroit Free Press Building reaches 190ft (58m) with 14 floors above ground.

Of course, each project may have faced different briefs or regulatory constraints, which we don't really know about and could also explain the outcome.

Both the Penobscot Building and the Detroit Free Press Building were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Art Deco style.

At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So both Smith, Hinchman & Grylls and Albert Kahn Associates followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

The Penobscot Building is primarily commercial, while the Detroit Free Press Building is primarily residential.

Originally, the Detroit Free Press Building was designed for commercial, but over time it was converted to residential. The Penobscot Building by contrast has maintained its original role.

The Detroit Free Press Building offers 105 residential units.

The Detroit Free Press Building also provides 105 parking spaces.

Both the Penobscot Building and the Detroit Free Press Building rely on a Frame structural system.

A frame structure uses a grid of columns and beams to carry the building's loads. This frees the walls from structural duties, allowing for flexible floor plans and larger windows.

They also employ the same type of facade, a Masonry facade.

A masonry facade gives the building a heavier, more traditional appearance. It often conceals a frame structure behind it, creating the look of solid walls without carrying the main loads.